The Homes Job
by Leveragelover
Summary: A.K.A This is not a drill. It's the teams first day in Portland and they all hate the new city; especially Nate. Why? read to find out. Characters: Nate, Parker, and Sophie...since I couldn't pick two
1. So pale and so gone

**A/N: This story is basically like the first episode of season 5. Takes place in Portland and has the common idea of rebuilding. ****All the research I did is all true and you'd be surprised at how interesting it is. ****Please review!**

**Archival warning: Sadness**

_So pale and so gone_

Tara and Maggie had come to help move boxes into Nates new apartment. The place was packed with all of their stuff, tables and counters covered in boxes.

"Ugh how many more boxes?" Tara complained

"We're almost done" Eliot grumbled as he set down another box

"Yeah we'll you guys have fun. Sophie and I are gonna go for a walk" Nate said quickly, his arm around her waist

Sophie giggled and played with the buttons on his shirt. They ran out of the apartment before Eliot could yell at them and tell them to come back. Maggie was smiling slightly and Tara rolled her eyes.

"At least those two are happy" Maggie said

"Ugh I don't know how she can stand him!" Tara drawled out

"Yeah, I don't know how I stand him" Maggie shrugged

"I think they're fine together" Parker frowned slightly

"They used be really messed up" Eliot reminded them

"Friends with bennies" Hardison added

"Yeah she told me about that"

"Nate wouldn't sink that low" Maggie added in a disbelieved tone

"Well he did...for a long time" Hardison said

"And they hid it from us" Parker pouted.

"How'd that go?" Maggie laughed slightly

"Oh well Nate ended up getting beat up" Eliot chuckled

"Oh, poor thing" Tara said sarcastically

They all laughed.

"Yeah...no" Parker then said seriously

"Mmm I love Portland" Sophie murmured as she walked through a beautiful neighborhood; hand in hand with Nate.

"Yeah it was a good choice" Nate gave an agreeing shrug

"Oh pish posh you know you love it"

Nate brought their hands up and he kissed the back of her hand. "Only because we're living together"

"Somehow I still think there's more to these big plans of yours"

"Maybe there is. Maybe there isn't" Nate smirked, purposely nudging her off onto the grass to annoy her

"You bastard" She cursed, stumbling slightly with the change in elevation and terrain.

Nate laughed and helped her back onto the sidewalk. They continued walking down the street in a peaceful silence.

"You smell that?" Sophie asked curiously as she sniffed at the air. "Smells like something's burning"

Nate looked around to see if there was any smoke around. "There's no smoke and I don't smell anything. Maybe you're just imagining things"

Sophie refused to believe that statement but didn't put up a fight. The smell started to become slightly stronger and she heard sirens faintly in the distance.

"Now I'm smelling the burning"

Sophie saw the smoke spiraling up from a house down the street. "Nate! That persons house is on fire!" She ripped her hand away from his and started running. Nate ran after her and she skidded to a halt in front of the burning house. A lady who was disgruntled and covered in black ash was bent over coughing in the driveway.

"My-my daughter," The women coughed again," she-she's in the house"

"Where?" Sophie demanded

The women held up one finger since she was still coughing out smoke. Sophie sprinted to the door covering her mouth with her shirt as she took one large breath of clean air before diving in.

(Insert dramatic pause here)

Nate tried to grab her arm to stop her but she was gone in a flash. He yelled at her and almost went in after her but two strong men held him back. Behind him were fire trucks and ambulances, people spilling out of the vehicles. The base of the house seemed to be groaning under the pressure of the falling house. A scream erupted from inside. Nate didn't care if it was the girl or Sophie but he started sobbing and screaming.

Being in a house on fire was 100 times worse then she would've thought. The fire was licking up the walls, burning the ceiling black. She could see the family's possessions being destroyed in the unrelenting fire. Her lungs were raw and scratchy, either from the lack of water or the smoke. A bed suddnely came crashing ot of the ceiling, hitting her in the head with a chunk of floorboard. She tried to scream but nothing came out and she clutched her head which was spinning in pain. The little girls screaming became louder and louder as she made her way into what seemed to be the kitchen. Sophie saw the girl crying on the ground, too paralyzed with fear to do anything. Sophie heaved the girl up into her arms with the last bit of strength she had left. Just as she turned the corner she was met face to face with a fireman who took the little girl from her arms. He rushed back out the door and Sophie followed. Her brain felt half alive, like it was barely processing how to move and think. A chunk of flaming ceiling came crashing down on her arm and her knees buckled causing her to almost fall to the ground. Before she could move the burning armoire next to her started to fall and she tried to dodge out of the way but the armoire caught her leg before she could move. A sudden ripping pain went through her leg followed by a burning numbness. Her vision blurred, colorful dots exploding all over her eye-sight. The black wave started to crash over her just as she staggered out. Sophie crashed to the ground unconscious just as the house behind her collapsed into a burning heap.

When he saw Sophie fall to the ground unconscious he started yelling and thrashing, trying to get out of their grip. A few paramedics came and picked her body up and put it on a stretcher. The put the stretcher up in on of the ambulances and started loading into the car.

"Please tell me she isn't dead?" Nate half cried and half yelled

"No she's not dead Sir but her condition could become critical" The one paramedic informed him

"Please let me go with her!" Nate begged

"Relation?"

"She's my girlfriend"

The man sighed. "Fine"

The men let go of him and he ran over to the ambulance and jumped in. The men pushed him to the front as they circled Sophie and started saying stuff he didn't understand. He felt the hot tears spilling out of his eyes like a flood made of poison. Why did she have to go into that fire?

They wouldn't let him be with her. So instead he sat in the waiting room tapping his foot nervously and biting his nails. So many mixed emotions was giving him a headache and he found it hard to even think. What seemed to be 5 hours later but could've only been 5 minutes, the doctor showed up.

"Mr. Ford?" The doctor asked. Nate nodded and he continued. "She's alive. There's 3rd degree burns of her left arm, a broken leg, and she also has some severe damage on her respiratory system. There will be therapy for her breathing along with a specialized treatment. And I hate to be the one to say this but she has experienced some TBI; traumatic brain injury. We did a CT scan and there was some bleeding but the doctors took her into emergency surgery and it's better."

"Oh thank god" Nate muttered

"We've gone through the Glasgow Coma Scale and she ranked a 7. 2 in pain stimuli, 2 in verbal response, and 3 in motor response"

"Is that good?"

"No. I'm afraid it means that it's severe. We have a few more tests to do to make sure we didn't miss anything that could be potentially lethal "

Nate almost started crying at the news. "Will the brain damage affect her the rest of her life?"

"She will lose memory of about the last 7 days. The brain damage wasn't horribly severe, we believe that she got hit in the head so hard and then along with everything else that happened her body just completely shut down from pain."

"Is she awake?"

"Sir, Glasgow COMA scale"

"She-she's in a c-coma?" Nate stuttered out and the actually started crying.

"I'm sorry Mr. Ford" The doctor patted him on the shoulder

Nate stood up suddenly and started taking fast long strides to her door. He paused a second before opening the door to her room. She lay almost lifeless on the hospital bed, a breathing mask over her face. He sat down in the vacant chair next to her bed and took her limp, unbandaged hand in his. Nate started to silently cry as he saw the burns up and down her right arm and face. Her left arm was wrapped with gauze and her right foot was in a cast and propped up. The breathing mask on her face was tinged black from the smoke that was coming from her lungs. Her air supply must have been tainted with some of the medicine the doctor had been talking about.

"God Sophie you're an idiot and a hero for going in there" He gave a watery laugh."I know you probably hate Portland now. One the bright side Detective Bannano is being transferred her in 4 months. But on the downside now my surprise is ruined. Well not 'cause you know but because you're just not gonna be able to go there." He paused. "Well I'll tell the team you're in the hospital and I'm sure they'll flip. I hope you wake up soon" He kissed the back of her hand before getting up to walk out.

Nate called Eliot first:

"What do you mean she went into a burning house?" Eliot demanded angrily

"I tried to stop her but she ran in there and these two men held me back" Nate defended

Eliot growled and then muttered a few curses under his breath. "Thanks Nate I'll be over there ASAP"

Then he called Parker:

"..." Parker was silent

"Parker are you okay?" Nate asked urgently

"I'll be over in a few" Her voice was solemn

Lastly was Hardison:

"WHAT?" Hardison yelled over the phone

"She's at Portland Clinic in the ER branch downtown"

"I swear I'm gonna beat her ass for doing that!" Hardison muttered and the line went dead.

That was the epitome of his conversation with the team, who was sad, angry, and annoyed. About 15 minted later they were all sitting in Sophie's hospital room.

"Why did she go into that burning house?" Hardison asked in a frustrated tone

"She was going to save a ladies daughter" Nate snapped at him

"I can't believe she put her life at risk to save a stranger" Parker thought out loud

"Would you have gone in there?" Hardison asked Nate

"The firefighters were just coming out of their trucks as Sophie went in there. So no, I don't think I would have"

There was a long silence.

Eliot was the first one to brake the blaring silence. "Wha-what exactly did they classify her coma as on the GCS?"

"A 7; severe" Nate whispered

"No!" Eliot yelled, standing up from his chair. The tears started to fall down his face and he couldn't help it.

"What Eliot?" Parker demanded

Eliot swallowed hard and turned his head to look at them. "Sophie may never wake up"


	2. See what I've become

**A/N: SO the name of there is this song in this chapter and I wrote lyrics to the song just 'cause I didn't feel like searching for a song. It's called **_**see what I've become by Zack Hemsey **_**(lyrics start at 0:46) Anyyyywwaaayyy I didn't know how to do a 4 day time elapse so it's choppy and stuff but whatever. Anyway I was experimenting with a new character dynamic so I hope I did okay. Don't forget to review!**

_See what I've become_

Nate wasn't sure when the sobbing and stopped. It was long past midnight and he was still sitting in the plastic hospital chair. He could cry no longer and all that was left was the black hole ripping at his heart, soul, and mind. Only two weeks before his father had been killed. Now death was coming to claim Sophie and he just couldn't handle it. There was always the chance she would wake up but it was a silly dream. He wasn't there to see what happened but he had theory on what he thought happened. Night slowly slipped to day as Nate fell asleep. He was rudely awoken after what seemed like 10 minutes. The bright light maybe him cringe and he covered his eyes.

"Mr. Ford?" The voice was distant

"What!"

"We need you to wait outside while we do some tests"

"Mmmkay" Nate muttered and got up slowly, staggering out of the room. He went up to the kind looking receptionist and leaned on the desk for support. "What time is it?"

"1:34"

Nate just winced and went to go sit down. It had been over 24 hours since she'd been in a coma and she hadn't woken up yet.

49 hours it had been since the burning house. The team was solemn and kept flittering in and out of Sophie's hospital room. Tara and Maggie had come to visit but couldn't stay long. Nate was constantly by her bedside and hadn't gone home since he'd gotten there.

70 hours had gone by. Nate was growing weaker and weaker with everyday as if he were slowly slipping away with Sophie. Hardison and Parker had started staying away from the hospital, the sight of their friend scaring them. Eliot hung around Nate often to make sure he wouldn't push himself to far. It was about 8 at night when Eliot left. After a few minutes Tara walked in.

"How's she doin'?"

"Not any better" Nate replied gravely

Tara nodded slowly and went to sit down in the chair Eliot had recently vacated. "I know this is hard for you and stuff and I wish I had some sort of comfort but I just don't"

"I've barely gotten any sleep and I haven't even left the hospital"

Tara leaned in and sniffed his jacket. "You haven't changed your clothes?" she asked in disgust

Nate shook his head no and continued staring at Sophie. There was a long silence between the two of them.

"I bet now you wish you would've proposed at the dam" Tara said with a slight laugh

Nate looked at her, his brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Well Sophie said that she was almost positive that you were gonna propose at the dam. Instead you said big plans. You and your cryptic words drive a woman crazy for sure"

Nate grumbled something she couldn't understand and went back to looking at Sophie.

"Have you had anything to drink since all of this happened?"

"No. I haven't left the hospital"

"How are you managing without it? I mean for something like this normally wouldn't you be drowning in a bottle of whiskey?" Tara's voice was curious but Nate found it offensive

"I'm dying" He replied simply

"What?" Tara blurted out

"Well not literally...well maybe. I don't know! I'm just growing weaker every day as if I'm dying with her" Nate shook his head and clenched his eyes shut, burying his face in his hands

"You don't know if she's dying" Tara put a comforting hand on his shoulder

"Oh please you know she's growing closer to death every day" Nate scoffed

"Can't there be hope-"

"-there's no such thing as hope" Nate snapped

96 hours; 4 days and Nate still hadn't left the hospital. Tara came again but didn't even bother to say hi to Nate. He barely even registered the conversation she had with Eliot.

"You might want to get him home today" Tara whispered

"He keeps hitting me every time I suggest it"

"You're a hitter, don't you hit back?"

"No, he's too weak, too hurt already"

"Just try to get him home for one night so he can get some decent sleep" Tara turned around and started to leave

"No, wait, just watch" Eliot said and gestured her to come back. He cautiously walked over to Nate and put a hand on his shoulder. "Nate I think you should go home maybe get some-"

He was cut off by a hard punch to the stomach. Nate was about to push him away when Tara yelled at him, "HEY! What the hell was that?"

Nate just looked at Tara, his face cold.

"Answer me!" Tara demanded

"He wants me to go home" Nate growled through clenched teeth

"Yeah and maybe he's got a point. Sophie wouldn't want you hurting your friends. She wouldn't want you slowly killing yourself. Did you ever think that? Did you ever think about it from her perspective!" Tara yelled at him so loud that it was enough for Eliot to stare at her in surprise.

Nate swallowed hard and slowly made his way to door. "Can someone drive me?"

"I'll do it" Eliot replied gruffly

"Hey Eliot do you think you could make me some food? I'm goin' up to take a shower" Nate asked as they were walking into his new apartment

"Sure man" Eliot said as he walked into the kitchen. Nate nodded and slowly made his way up the stairs. His room was stilled filled with boxes from moving. He grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt and made his way into the bathroom. The hot water relaxed his tense muscles and he could feel the dirt and sweat washing off his body. He sighed as he imagined Sophie being there with him. After what was probably a half hour he turned the water off and got out of the shower. The haze that had been filling his mind was starting to thin. He walked downstairs and saw Eliot just finishing putting food on a plate.

"You feelin' better?" He asked

"Much. Some food and sleep will do me good too" Nate said as he pushed the boxes around on the table so he had room to eat.

"Well I'm gonna head out unless you need me around"

"No I think I'm good by myself, thanks though" Nate didn't bother to look at Eliot but stared blankly at one of the boxes. Eliot quirked his eyebrow up in confusion when he saw Nates eyes slightly wide and dazed. He'll be fine soon enough.

Hopefully.

Nate was exhausted by the time he finished eating. He almost drifted off in the chair but quickly snapped himself to attention and trudged upstairs. Sleep overtook him before his head even hit the pillow.

**-In the dream-**

I'm back in that accursed hospital. Sophie is lifeless by my side and the darkness of the night is casting eerie shadows over her pale body. My fingers are so close to reach out and touch her but my wrists are chained to the chair. Suddenly the scene changes and I'm sitting on the curb of a street. Cars whoosh past me, blowing dirt and dust in my face. I see a group of sad looking girls start walking towards me and I try to get up. I'm chained. The girls walk into the street and the cars drive right through them. I'm scared now and I don't know why. They're just little girls,

right? So these girls sit in front of me and just stare at me.

"Hello?"

No answer

"Hello?"

Again no answer

"Are you okay?"

The oldest girl shakes her head no

"What's wrong?"

The youngest one shrugs

"Can you speak?"

The all shake their heads no

"Why are you here?"

They don't say anything

"Do you need something from me?"

The girls exchanged a worried look

"Is Sophie going to be okay?"

The eldest makes a face that says 'Eh she may or may not be, I dunno'

"You're no help"

The girls frown and slowly disappear.

**-End of dream-**

Nate jolted awake and his whole body went stiff before he let out a deep breath and his body relaxed. The things he would do to have the warm comfort of Sophie next to him. Instead he had to deal with his pain in a different way. It was a way he had learned when his dad died. Nobody knew about it and he wanted to keep it that way. Slowly he started making his way downstairs and then into one of the side rooms where a piano resided. People would laugh at him if they knew he could play. And sing. His fingers drummed down on each key slowly but firmly. Then the lower moving part came in. That's when he started to sing...

"_It's been four days_

_There's a vacancy next to me_

_It won't let me sleep_

_So I stay next to you _

_Your lifeless body holds no grace _

_Death is slowly taking it away_

_If I pray hard enough _

_Hoping for your life_

_But reality will soon pull me right _

_And I will scream and you will cry_

_And on that night _

_We will both die_

_Fade to gray_

_Fade to black _

_The doctors say its critical and that is that_

_Come see what I've done_

_Come see what I've become _

_Maybe I'll make it out alive_

_Maybe I won't_

_Either way _

_You won't be alone _

_A poisoned coma _

_It's the same _

_A cruel twisted _

_Killer charade _

_They'll rip your soul out first_

_And then take mine_

_Either way_

_We will both die_

_Come see me for what I've done _

_Come see what I've become _

_Maybe we'll live through this _

_But one cannot die while the other survives _

_It's about time that you find _

_A world of burning time _

_The long lifespan _

_You thought you had_

_The paper scroll is burning_

_In my hands _

_I see our future melt_

_And I'll I can do is cry_

_As the ashes of a happy life _

_Are no longer true_

_Your worlds collapsing around you_

_Like the lies of a burning roof _

_It burns your skin _

_And breaks you more_

_But the mighty lord _

_Is coming from above _

_To take you for a long penance_

_And teach you how to love _

_But you didn't know_

_You were just a kid_

_Your history is tearing at your soul_

_A souless coma_

_Pulling us in its hole_

_Maybe I'll make it out alive _

_Maybe I won't_

_Either way_

_You won't be alone _

_Come see me for what I've done _

_Come see what I've become_

_Maybe I'll make it out alive_

_Maybe I won't _

_Either way_

_You won't be alone_

_Fade to gray_

_Fade to black _

_That fire did kill_

_And this is not a drill_"

Nate sighed and let his finger stay rested on the last note as it slowly faded out.

"Would you really kill yourself if Sophie died?" The soft and sad voice of the Thief came from behind him.

Nate jumped in surprise. He hadn't even heard her. "Parker! What the hell?"

Parker's face was sad. "Are you really gonna kill yourself?"

Nate was about to lie when he decided it would do him no good. He could feel the tears swelling up in his eyes and he could tell they were red-rimmed. "I-I thought about it...and am still kind of thinking about it"

Parker felt the tears starting to roll down her face. "No! You can't kill yourself! You're like my dad to me and I couldn't stand to lose my mom and my dad."

Nates jaw hung open as he tried to search for the right words.

"We'll be able to make it through this!" Parker was now trying to keep up with wiping the tears from her face

"Parker I-" Nate started

"I HATE this city!" Parker yelled in frustration

"Parker!" He said more urgently

"Why'd we have to move here it's done nothing but trouble!"

"Parker listen to me!" Nate yelled in the tone that made you sink down in your chair. "This song. This piano. Whatever. I started doing this when my dad died. It kept me from drinking myself to death, which I know I would have."

"But you were still drinking" Parker's voice was distant

"It was to throw you guys off. I didn't really need to be drinking that much. Anyway the song that I sang when after my dad died went along the lines of revenge and pain. This one, as said in the lyrics, is about fading to gray. How Sophie's lifespan is slowly ebbing away and it's burning in my hands. I don't know if you heard the beginning but it's about me being by her side but reality will soon pull me back. It's just...stuff that I'm thinking about"

"It was a sad song," was all Parker could manage

"Well I'm going to go back to bed" Nate said as he started walking to the door. His feet scuffed across the ground and his shoulders were slumped

"Do you need a hug?" Parker asked suddenly

"No, I'm fine Parker" Nate said with a strained voice and he walked out of the room back into the main living area. Suddenly Parker gave him a big hug and he stumbled backwards in surprise.

"Please don't commit suicide" Parker whispered. Nate hugged her back since Parker was right, he did need a hug.

"I'll be alright" Nate whispered back. Parker pulled away and looked at him with a sad smile, the tears still running down her face.

"Thanks dad"

"Well isn't this adorable! Such a father daughter moment" A cool slick voice came from the doorway. Nate and Parker turned to see a man with short white hair and blue eyes leaning against the doorframe. In his hand he held a file and Nate knew this wouldn't end well.

A/N: Teehee! *Mysteriously* reviewssssss


	3. This is not the the time

**A/N: I wanted to say thank you for all the lovely reviews! As always I don't own Leverage!**

_Not the time_

Nates guard immediately went up and he stepped in front of Parker. "Who are you?"

The man ignored him. "I'm here to help you"

"With what?" Nate asked firmly

"Someone is targeting you...someone by the name of Devalia Feradow" He handed Nate the envelope.

Nate cautiously took the envelope and opened it. It was set up like the normal police folder with the records and pictures. The picture was of a woman with wavy red hair and black eyes. A scar that looked like it was from some sort of large cat ran down her right cheek.

"We don't know what she wants with you but her tactics are usually mysterious and happen in the shadows. If you find anything that seems out of place avoid it. For your own good. She's already put one of her plans in motion" The mans voice started to seem worried

Nate furrowed his brow in confusion.

"You mean she's responsible for Sophie's coma?" Parkers voice was small

"Yes and no. Devalia set that house on fire so it would purposely be where you were walking. It was intended for you but as long as it hurt someone in your crew she didn't really care." The mans voice was jaded

"How-how do you know that?" Nate asked with the slightest hint of fear in his voice

The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't care to explain"

"Why not?" Nate demanded in as gentle voice as he could manage

"I'm already in too much danger by being here" He whispered. "Think of me as a double agent"

Nate forced a nod. "So what are we supposed to do?"

"Stop her. Put her in jail. Kill her. I don't care. Just stop her. She's hurt too many people already"

"Stop someone who wants to hurt us? That involves getting close to them..."

"Not necessarily" The man raised his eyebrows a them and then walked out the door.

"I think I see a pattern starting to form..." Parker said suspiciously

"What?"

"Well first with the mysterious Italian and then the apartment getting bugged and now this Devil person that wants to bring us down" Parker looked at him seriously

"First off, her name was Elizabetta-"

"Why'd you never tell us?" Parker cut in

Nate ignored her, "second, her name is Devalia not Devil"

"But don't you think it's a bit odd?" Parker asked slowly

"Well we've messed with a lot of corrupt CEO's, I mean we're bound to have enemies" Nate shrugged

"I just don't want anyone else to get hurt" Parker muttered

Nate put his hands on his shoulders and looked at her. "Listen to me Parker, we're not going to let this go to our heads. We don't even know if this is true"

"We should still have Hardison check"

"Yeah" Nate paused, "do you remember what I asked you to do?"

Parker looked at him.

"That shiny thing" Nate hinted, "is it done?"

"Oh! Yeah it's done"

"Okay good" Nate then quickly changed subjects. "We should get back to the hospital"

"Eliot said-"

"-don't care what he said I'm going back" Nate interrupted crisply

"Okay Mister Sassy Pants" Parker raised her arms in defense

By the time they finally got out of Nates apartment it was about 9 at night. His car was parked across the street in a parking garage. As he looked both ways on the street and then he noticed two men walking towards them. Nate tried to ignore them and started crossing he street but Parker held him back.

"Watch where you're going or you'll get hit by a car"

They were 10 feet away now and the taller of the two reached into his inside jacket pocket.

"Run." His voice was distant. "RUN!" Nate grabbed her wrist and started bolting off in the other direction. Shots were being fired from behind, both of them with guns. He had no idea where he was going since it was a new city. Parker took a sharp left around the corner and then another sharp left into an alley. The water splashed around their feet as they ran through the darkness. They couldn't hear the shooting anymore and Nate stopped to catch his breath.

Suddenly his phone rang.

Nate quickly grabbed it out of his pocket and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Ford, it's Nicole"

"Nicole! What's wrong? Please don't say that she-"

"NATE!" Parker yelled when she saw the two men just down the alley.

"One sec" Nate said urgently into the phone as he followed Parker up the old metal ladder on the side of the building. He could hear bullets ricocheting off the metal and he climbed faster, nearly pushing Parker over the top of the ladder when she got to the top. They stumbled across the roof and headed towards the door at the top. It was locked. Parker immediately went to work on picking it.

"I'm back" Nate breathed heavily in the phone

The world was all too bright for her. The white walls so dark but glowing so bright. Her world seemed to shake and throb as she looked around. The pain in her head, arms, legs, and her whole body actually; was excruciating. All she could do was let the silent tears run down her face as she groaned in pain. A lady came into the room and rushed over to her. Before she knew it, more people came into the room and started poking and prodding at her body. She did her best to keep up with what they were saying and doing but her mind kept lagging. A twinge in her arm told her that they had stuck a needle in her. That's when she saw Eliot and Hardison. She managed a weak grin as they ran over to her. Their movements were jagged and slow as she came too. The morphine started to course through her body just as Maggie and Tara walked in. They were all crying tears of joy as they watched her. Everyones voice cleared in her head and their movements became more fluent. Then she noticed nobody else had walked in the door yet. She frowned and managed to pry open her dry mouth.

"Where's Nate and Parker? Are they dead?"

"She's awake" Nicole's voice was almost squealing with excitement

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Nate yelled into phone. Half out of surprise and joy and half out of rage for it being now.

"Yes she's a bit disoriented and..."

They could hear the thugs pounding up the ladder. "I gotta go! I'll be there ASAP" Nate hung up the phone and grabbed Parker by the back of her collar and started running towards the other side of the building.

"Wai-what's goin' on?" Parker yelled as she started running

"Sophie's awake but we're being chased by guys with guns so I suggest we run like hell" Nate ran to the other side of the building and it was what appeared to be a short jump to the next. He bounded off the ledge onto the other, Parker right behind him. Nate skidded across the ground and Parker landed on her feet. She helped Nate up and they kept running.

"Sophie's awake?" It was a delayed reaction

"Yeah" Nate looked back worriedly and saw the gunners had vanished. "They're gone," He breathed

For a few minutes they sat there and tried to catch their breath. Once Parker had managed to get her breath back she turned to look at Nate. "Well this idea was great for getting away but how are we supposed to get back down. I'm not gonna be able to do that jump now and I'm positive you won't either"

Nate shook his head no, his esophagus still numb from running. Parker looked around for a door back into the building. She spotted an air shaft and went to go check it out. It wasn't bad but Nate might have a hard time with the drop, since he wasn't a skilled cat burglar like her. Frustrated she looked over the ledge of the ledge of the building, nothing to climb down on.

"Come on we have to jump"

"But-"

"Now!" Parker grabbed his hand and helped him up. They got a good head start and ran, catapulting off the ledge. Nates knees buckled on impact and he faltered. The balls of his feet hit the edge of the building and he fell. He grabbed onto the ledge almost immediately, one little slip away from dying.

"I HATE THIS CITY!" Nate yelled as he tried to hoist himself up over the ledge. His arms were too weak and his hands were sweating, causing him to slip. Parker grabbed his biceps and pulled him up over the ledge and almost threw him on the ground since he weighed too much for her to pick up. Nate regained his balance and then started heading to the other side of the building.

"The city's not all bad...I like the donuts" Parker said as she walked after him.

**A/N 2: I know there is a lot of interaction between Nate and Parker right now but the story follows Nate around most of the time. Now originally you didn't get to see Sophie wake up but I decided I should put it in there and I'm not really sure if I like how it turned out. Anyway the last chapter is going to a lot longer because I split the end of this one off and added it to the 4****th****. Don't forget reviews *u***


	4. Time wears thin

**A/N: Expect something big! I don't own Leverage!**

_Time wears thin_

Nate wanted to run up the stairs instead of waiting in the elevator, but the gun chase had sucked all his energy up. Once the doors opened he quickly rushed out and into Sophie's room. Everyone was huddled around her except him and Parker. Sophie stopped talking and turned to Nate.

"Nate!" Her voice was slightly hoarse

"Sophie" He breathed and the tears started to fall before he could even comprehend what was going on. In a flash he was by her side, his lips on hers. They both pulled away more quickly then they normally would have.

"My lungs are still messed up from the fire" She explained, her accent more prominent then it used to be

"Your accents stronger"

Sophie shrugged. "Who knows why," she then frowned. "They gave me a ton of morphine"

Nate gave a watery laugh and sat down on the edge of her bed. "Yeah, they do that when people are in pain"

"And Hardison recorded the whole thing and refuses to delete it" Sophie stuck her tongue out at him

**-FLASHBACK-**

_"Hey Maggie come 'ere I wanna tell you a secret" Sophie smiled lazily _

_Maggie cautiously leaned in close. _

_"You were lying when you said Nate wasn't good in bed because he's fantastic" Sophie said in a rather loud voice and started petting Maggie's hair._

_Maggie sighed and Tara snickered while the two boys rolled their eyes. _

_"Hey do you remember that po-ta-to?" _

_The two nodded._

_"Well the night before me and Nate had sex for the first time since San Lorenzo" Sophie giggled airily. Hardison had his phone out and had been recording the whole thing. _

_"This is gold!" He muttered to himself _

_"Oh no! You're taping my confessions? Don't give 'em to the police!" Sophie yelled _

_"Don't worry Soph, I'm not givin' them to the police" _

_"Oh, good! That reminds me. Nobody likes robots!" Sophie yelled at Hardison _

_Hardison frowned in confusion. _

_"And you need to cut your hair. You look too much like some southern boy that you pick up at the tumble weed saloon" Sophie started laughing at her own joke along with everyone else in the room_

_"Hey Sophie, do you have any more confessions about Nate or the rest of the team?" Eliot asked gently _

_"Ya! For Tara: yes Nate and I's relationship is mostly built on sex and some kind of unearthed love that we still haven't admitted yet. For Nate: Like seriously just shut your arrogant mouth sometimes and listen to what I have to say. For Eliot: I was NOT drunk during San Lorenzo!" _

_"Yeah how'd that go?" Eliot cut in_

_"God, it was fantastic!"_

_"Anyway! Continue with your confessions" Eliot cut in before it got anywhere close to graphic. _

_"And lastly for Parker: when are you going to ask sexual chocolate out?"_

_Hardisons eyes went wide and he looked at her with his mouth hanging open as he tried to form a coherent response._

_"Where is Nate? He needs to see this" Tara exclaimed_

_"Yeah, where is Nate? I miss him" Sophie mumbled, followed by a heavy sigh_

**-END OF FLASHBACK-**

"You're not acting all crazy right now"

"Morphine's wearing off" She answered simply

"You're bodies burning through it quick"

"Really?" Her voice was dripping sarcasm

"Has anyone told you anything?"

"No. The last thing I remember is packing up my apartment in Boston" Sophie mused

"Well we're here in Portland and we live together. Almost 5 days ago we were walking around this nice neighborhood. You smelled something burning and I didn't. Then as we walked I started to smell it and then you saw the smoke rising in the sky. You ran to the house and the lady who had just come out of the fire and was coughing said that her daughter was in there. I tried to stop you from going in there but two men held me back-" Nate was getting choked up, his eyes brimming with tears.

Sophie didn't push him, but stared at him in an almost pleading way.

Nate took a deep breath and continued, "I don't know what happened in there but someone screamed. I didn't care who it was but I kicked and yelled and they still wouldn't let me go. Then a firefighter came out with the girl and then you came out. You were limping which was probably because of your broken leg. Then you fell onto the driveway; unconscious. Then much later at the hospital they pronounce you in a severe coma. It means you would loose about 7 days of memory and could wake up in 24 hours to indefinitely."

Sophie thought about it for a while, trying to bring back the memory. Then it suddenly hit her. "So I-I could've died?"

Nate nodded slowly and felt the tears falling down his face.

"Wha-how did you...?"

"You got loaded into an ambulance immediately and I rode to the hospital with them. Then they took you away from me for all these tests. I left the hospital for the first time just earlier today."

"Nate you complete idiot..." Sophie went off on a rant but all he could do was smile sadly at her.

"I told him" Tara said once Sophie had finished

"You should listen to my best friend! She knows what she's talking about" Sophie was going to point to Tara but she wasn't allowed to move her arm

"But she never listens to me because she thinks she's better then me" Tara tousled her hair and smiled

Sophie laughed lightly. Nate reached up to fix her hair, his hands tingling at the feel of her warm skin.

"You know it's a bit un-cliché for you not to be here when I wake up" Sophie teased, grinning at him

"We were on our way here before we even got the call" Nates voice was slightly jaded and he shot Parker a warning glance. She tugged at Eliots arm and he followed her into the hall

"What Parker?" Eliot growled

"You remember when the Italian was blackmailing us?"

He nodded

"Well something like that happened...but not really. To make a long story short this man came and gave us this file. Supposedly this woman named Devalia Feradow is targeting us. Nate doesn't want us getting involved in it because he thinks it's a bunch of lies."

"Should still have Hardison check it out" He said quickly and crisply.

"That's what I said! Anyway. Then as we were about to go get Nates car from the parking garage these men started chasing us and shooting us. We ran into an alley and that's when Nate got the call. So we went up this ladder on the side of the building and ran across the roof. We jumped onto the next building and the gunners vanished. There was no way down so we had to jump back over the ledge, which was hard since we were so out of breath and weak. Nate ended up sorta falling and he was hanging on the ledge. Nothing too bad happened and we managed to get back here all in one piece."

Eliot was silent for a moment before replying smoothly, "Thanks for telling me Parker. We'll talk more in depth about this when we get back to the apartment"

Parker nodded and followed Eliot back into the room. Everyone was laughing and smiling and the Hitter and Thief forced a smile.

"So when can Sophie go back?" Parker asked slowly

"The doctor said that I'll be transferred to a rehabilitation hospital tomorrow" Sophie's voice was laced with sadness

"But your TBI isn't that bad"

"No. Not really. But the doctor said that I should at least go for a few days"

"Anything you need to do to get better" Nate brushed the tips of the fingers across her cheek and pressed a light kiss to her lips

Sophie blushed and then let her eyes flick over the three 'kids. They all had little smiles on their faces as they watched her.

Parker was the first to break the silence with a comment that made everyone raise their eyebrows. "Did you know Nate can play piano...and sing"

"You can sing?" Eliot asked in surprise

Hardison laughed and turned to Parker gesturing for a high-five. "Boom! Up top for a good joke"

"It wasn't a joke" Parker said blankly

Nate was looking down at the floor trying to hide his bright red face.

"Natteee" Sophie said in that way that always got his attention

"Hm?" He looked up at her with a sheepish smile. "We all have our own secret talents"

Everyone shrugged in agreement.

"I know that you hate un-cliche things but-" Nate pulled a small box out of his jacket pocket and flipped it open. "Sophie Devereaux, will you marry me?"

Her jaw dropped open in surprise, her eyes wide as she stared at the ring and then up at him. "HELL YES!"

Nate grinned as if he had just caught Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. He slipped the dark banded, 3-karat diamond ring on her finger.

"Nate it's beautiful" Sophie breathed; tears of happiness rolling down her face. "You didn't steal it did you?"

"No I had it specially made"

"By who?" She cocked her head to the side in curiosity

"Uno, dose, trace" He pointed to Parker, Eliot, and Hardison

"I got the diamond and made it all pretty" Parker grinned

"I made the band and the holder" Hardison said humbly

"And I put it all together and polished it all off" Eliot said with a proud smile

"And your husband presented it to you" Nate smirked

"I love all of you guys so much" Sophie cried.

The three kids grinned as Nate pulled his wife-to-be in a long kiss.

-Much later-

A raging thunderstorm went on outside, the thunder and lighting quickly going on one after the other. Everyone in the team except Sophie sat around Nates table. They had just finished their story about Devalia.

"I don't like it Nate" Eliot shook his head slowly

"He said that we don't necessarily need to get close to her to stop her" Nate tapped his fingers on the table as he looked of into the distance.

"Remember Nate we're not going to get into this" Parker said firmly

Nate shook his head and then looked at Hardison. "Do a thorough check on her Hardison"

Hardison nodded. "Can I do it tomorrow since it's been a pretty long day?"

"Yeah. But guys let me be very clear about something. Devalia does her things in the shadows and is very mysterious-"

"-that doesn't make sense! She burned a house down, how is that inconspicuous?" Eliot interrupted in outrage

"I don't know! But my point is is that she is trying to kill us!" Nates voice escalated in to yelling. "She tried to kill me and ended up getting Sophie into a severe coma. Then she tried to kill me and Parker and then I was hanging off a building with my fingertips."

"So in dumb people terms none of us are safe" Hardison added

"Yes, Hardison. That's correct and you guys need to be careful. We all need to be careful"

The all pondered his words for a few minutes, the truth stinging in their heads.

"I-I proposed to Sophie now, mostly because I realized I don't have as much time as I think and that we could die soon. All of us"

-Insert dramatic pause here (A.K.A. commercial brake)-

"Doin' a background check on Devil lady?" Parker asked as she went to sit next to Hardison

"Her name is Devalia, please don't jinx it." Hardison pleaded slightly. "And yes I am"

"Find anything?"

"It's pretty much the same thing in this folder we got. 5 foot 11, black eyes, red hair, and female. Birthplace: unknown. Current residence: unknown. Family: unknown." Hardison muttered angrily, throwing the file on the table and ferociously biting the head off a gummy frog. "Got nothin' on her. Nobody's gonna help me, cuz they don't know how to work computers. I have to do everything while they just get to relax."

"It's okay Alec" Parker put a comforting hand on his shoulder

Hardison sighed as put Devalia's face through facial recognition. "Thanks Parker"

Parker smiled and watched the screen with Hardison. It took a while but finally it got a hit. "Finally!" It said that she had last been seen at a cafe in Madrid just a week earlier. "That's odd"

"What?"

"The last place she was seen was in Madrid. Don't you think she would've showed up somewhere around Portland at least?" Hardison thought out loud

"Who knows" Parker shrugged

"It just...doesn't seem right"

Parker frowned, a thought bubbling up in the back of her brain. She pushed it away and watched Hardison. He was trying to track her to her car, hotel, house, anything. But there was nothing. She was totally off the grid. They had no way to find her. So they would just have to wait until she came to them.

**A/N 2: So I did the proposal 1) because the season 4 finale didn't end with such a huge bang as I was hoping 2) because as Nate said; he doesn't have as much time as he thinks. All that's left is the epilogue!**


	5. Epilogue

_Epilogue _

"I've missed you Soph" Nate hugged Sophie when they got back to the apartment. She had been released from the rehabilitation center but would still have to go back every now and then.

"I've missed you too Nate" Sophie murmured

"Let's go sit down" Nate made his way over to the couch while Sophie hobbled over on her crutches. Sophie gently propped them on the coffee table and sat down next to Nate. "Your arm still looks pretty bad"

"I'm so angry because it's going to affect my grifts" Sophie pouted

"In a few months it will just be a dark scar"

"I know, I know, it's just annoying is all" Sophie sighed and inspected the burn down her arm. She paused before turning to look at Nate. "You okay?"

"I'm fine Soph"

"Well I worry about you"

Nate felt his mouth curl up in a smile. "Me too"

"What about the children. How've they been doing?"

"So far we haven't had a single problem since the gunners"

"Well that's good. Maybe she's retreating" Sophie said hopefully

Nate sighed. "Maybe."

"Can we go take a shower? I feel like I haven't been clean since that fire"

"That's because you technically haven't"

"Well for a large portion of that I was in a coma so it doesn't count" Sophie jabbed her finger at his chest

Nate smirked slightly. "C'mon let's go"

"No! We should have it in the summer" Sophie grinned up at Nate as he carried her out of the bathroom

"No, we should have it in fall. It'll be so much prettier" Nate corrected. They had just finished their shower and Sophie was in her pajamas and Nate in his undershirt and boxers.

"But it'll be so much colder!"

Nate rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you'd worry about something like that"

"Oh, Nate" Sophie sighed. Nate set her down on the bed and stole a kiss. Before he could pull away she pulled him in for another kiss, making it last a bit longer. She pulled away a little bit. "So how 'bout summer"

Nate smirked. "You'll have to earn it"

"Mmm I don't think that'll be hard" Sophie grinned and was about to lean in for another kiss when Nate moved away. He picked up a piece of paper that was lying in his pillow. It read:

Each crewmember knows one of these people:

H.O.M.E.S.

They're significant, close, and need help. Find them. Or I will find them first

Sophie peered over his shoulder and read the note.

"I think each letter stands for a significant or close person in our lives"

"What does it mean?" Sophie whispered

"Devalia is after them and we have to save them"

-Fade out-

-Cue happy Leverage music-

**A/N: First off I don't think I have the interest (patience) or time to write more episodes. I might possibly do a future fic (No relation to this story) about them going to steal a musical…But I'm in the middle of two others right now so not sure when that'll happen. Lastly:**

**H- Henry (Eliots nephew)**

**O-Ollie (A friend of Parkers from the foster home)**

**M-Michelle (The name of Hardisons Nana)**

**E-Elena (Sophies mom) [Wrote a short including her it's called How Unfortunate]**

**S-Sara (Nates sister)**

**Just to tie up any loose ends. Hope you enjoyed :)**


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